The Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) has announced a new alliance with online poker operator GGPoker. The partnership is aimed at helping amateur players reach their full potential and nourish grassroots poker as a whole. The fresh partnership comes as APAT celebrates its 17th anniversary this year.

APAT Forms New Alliance with GGPoker

Founded in 2006, APAT paved the way for the successful poker careers of several players, including Niall Farrell who won the UK Team Championships in 2011, Roberto Romanello who finished 8th in the APAT Welsh Amateur Championships in 2007, and most notably, Liv Boeree who finished 8th in the APAT Welsh Amateur Championships in 2008.

APAT wants to reach more aspiring players and serve as an instrument for them to achieve their goals, and one of the best ways to do that is by partnering with GGPoker, the operator that has taken the online poker world by storm over the past few years.

GGPoker to Host Online Qualifiers for APAT Members

The GGPoker partnership will open the door to plenty of opportunities for APAT members to enhance their skills, meet like-minded people, and gain access to major poker events across the globe.

APAT members will now be able to qualify for some of the world’s biggest events and Championship tournaments via GGPoker, with the site also playing host to the online version of APAT’s World Championship of Amateur Poker (WCOAP). 

APAT and GGPoker will get the ball rolling on April 27 via a $5 buy-in “Welcome Party” tournament running exclusively on GGPoker.

Most of the players who were fined after a raid on Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club in Watauga, Texas in October 2022 have had their charges and fines dismissed. An image of the ruling, which was released on April 18, showed a motion to dismiss in the interest of justice as the reason for the dismissal. 

Charges Dismissed but $205K Yet to be Returned

One of the affected players, Daryl Gresham, who shared the image, felt relieved that the charges against him and his fellow players have now been dropped, however he’s demanding for the $205,000 confiscated by the police during the raid to be returned to them. 

Gresham said justice isn’t fully served unless the authorities give them back the $205K.

Staff Members Await Ruling   

Gresham was among 49 players competing during Day 2 of the Fall Classic Poker Main Event at the poker room when police stormed the venue and seized cash, documents, and other items of value associated with the club’s poker operations which were deemed “unlawful” as stated in the warrant from Tarrant County. 

The players were each fined $360 while several staff members were arrested. Three of the players accepted a plea deal and their cases still stand. Staff members are also still waiting for a decision on their case.

PokerStars is bringing top-notch poker action to Malta once again this summer with the “Summer Festival Malta 2023”. The series kicks off on June 27 and runs through July 2. PokerStars has yet to finalize the schedule but last year’s festival offers some hints on what to expect from the 2023 edition. 

Summer Festival Malta 2023

PokerStars has not released the full details of the 2023 festival, but the operator has already announced that the schedule will include Main Event and High Roller tournaments. 

Looking at the 2022 line-up, there were a total of 28 feature events which had a combined guarantee of €2 million. The schedule was headlined by the €1,100 buy-in Main Event which ultimately attracted the biggest number of entries (815), generating €782,400 in total prize pool. The tournament was won by Bulgarian player Zlatin Penev for €144,630.

Last year’s schedule also featured a €440 NLH Mystery Bounty Cup and a €550 NLH Deep Stack, along with a €275 Summer Kick-Off Knock Out. The 2023 festival will likely feature similar events and PokerStars could come up with an even bigger schedule.

Explore Malta 

Apart from the exciting poker action, players travelling to Malta for the Summer Festival also get the chance to enjoy plenty of off-the-felt activities as the island country is well-known for its magnificent beaches, vibrant nightlife, and historical sites.

The 2023 WSOP will be a historic one as the festival reunites with its original home, Horseshoe. To celebrate this momentous event, organizers have increased the number of gold bracelets up for grabs, with new events also making a debut, including a $1,500 buy-in Badugi tournament. 

Badugi Bracelet Event at 2023 WSOP

This isn’t the first time that Badugi featured in the WSOP. In the past editions of the festival, it was played as part of mixed games and dealer choice events. But this year, Badugi will have its own slot on the bracelet schedule which is great news for fans of the draw poker variant. 

Event #20: WSOP 2023 Badugi Event costs $1,500 to enter and takes place on June 7. The tournament allows one re-entry per player, with late registration remaining open for the first nine levels. 

Badugi – The Basics

Badugi is not as popular as other poker variants but it is fun to play. The game involves four rounds of betting and three drawing rounds. The player who has the best low hand during a showdown wins it. You’ll have a higher chance of winning the game if you get A-2-3-4, but you need to make sure all four cards are of different suits (a Badugi). 

If you are new to this variant, you may practice online across all PokerStars platforms in the US. It is the only online operator running Badugi games at the moment.

It’s been five years since Vanessa Selbst announced her retirement from professional poker but her name never really left the poker conversation. Considered one of the world’s best female poker players, Selbst was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame last year, and now she will be back in action as part of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Thrill Team.  

Selbst Joins WSOP Thrill Team

Selbst is no longer competing in major tournaments as a poker pro but that doesn’t mean she is ditching the game altogether. Selbst admits she still “feels that urge” and that poker will always hold a special place in her heart no matter where life takes her. 

Now, Selbst will reconnect with her poker fans and followers as a member of the WSOP Thrill Team, joining fellow poker stars Patrik Antonius, Landon Tice, Espen Jorstad, Samantha Abernathy, Ethan “Rampage” Yau, and Adam Hendrix. They will be playing on the WSOP’s free-to-play app against players from all over the world.

Selbst to Compete in 2023 WSOP Main Event

Selbst admits joining the WSOP Thrill Team is a great excuse to get back to the game, saying she just missed playing poker. We will see action from Selbst in the upcoming WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas this summer.